Plumbing fittings



March 4, 1969 G. J. VANEGAS PLUMBING FITTINGS Filed 001,. 19, 1966 FIG.4

INVENTOR. Guillermo J. Vanegas BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,430,270 PLUMBING FITTINGS Guillermo Jose Vanegas, Louisville, Ky., assignor to American Standard Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 587,772 US. Cl. 4-145 Claims Int. Cl. E03c 1/04 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A diverter valve for use in combination with a shower and bathtub. The system includes a valve between the shower head and the bathtub spout which prevents air from being drawn through the shower head and into the water which is flowing through the bathtub spout when the diverter is in the tub-fill position.

ing in the shower riser tube when the water flows through Y the tub fill spout. The venturi orifice sucks air through the shower head and the air is discharged through the tub fill spout mixed with the water.

A silent fill spout is a device capable of converting the water stream from a turbulent flow to a laminar flow at low velocity on which the main acting forces are the cohesion of the water itself and gravity, such that as it is discharged from the spout end it is a perfectly silent, splashless stream.

However, when a silent fill spout is used in conjunction with a bath-shower combination fitting, the air sucked, as described above, disturbs the laminar flow thereby making it no longer silent.

It has now been found, that a solution to the foregoing problem can be achieved through the use of a novel valve in combination with a silent fill bath fitting.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an apparatus for preventing air-suction in a bathshower fitting so that water can be discharged from the spout end in a silent, splashless stream comprising, in combination a shower head, a shower riser tube, a venturi orifice incorporated as part of the valve fitting, a silent fill diverter spout having a diverter knob slidably mounted thereon adaptedto cooperate therewith and a check valve located at any position above the bath fitting, but recommended at a location proximate the shower head within the shower head arm tube for easy accessibility for servicing.

In a further aspect, the present invention includes a float valve in lieu of a check valve positioned in the shower riser tube proximate the venturi orifice of the valve fitting. More specifically, the float valve comprises a first chamber and a second chamber integral with the first chamber and having a diameter greater than that of the first chamber. The first chamber also has a first orifice at the'end thereof and a neck portion integrally attached thereto and circumscribing the first orifice; the diameter of the neck portion being less than that of the first chamber thereby forming an integral shoulder therebetween. Lying within the first chamber and secured to the shoulder thereof is a preferably rubber seat rest which is adapted to circumscribe the first orifice. Float ball means having a diameter greater than the first orifice is adapted to travel between the first and second chambers and also ice to rest on the seat rest means thereby forming a hermetic seal.

The second chamber has a second orifice at the end thereof and a neck portion integrally attached thereto and circumscribing the second orifice, the diameter of the neck portion being less than that of the second chamber thereby forming an integral shoulder therebetween. In addition, the diameter of the neck of the second chamber is less than that of the neck of the first chamber. In addition thereto, float ball stop means is positioned within the second chamber and lies across the second orifice.

The object, features, and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood as the description of the invention proceeds, particularly when taken together with the accompanying drawings where like reference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the several figures and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of a bath-shower fitting illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view of the bath-shower fitting of FIGURE 1 illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of a float valve;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a float valve taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 3.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2, a silent fill diverter spout 10 having a diverter knob 11 is connected to a shower riser tube 12 having a venturi orifice 14 built-in the valve fitting. The shower riser tube 12 continues upwardly and terminates into a shower head 16.

As further shown in FIGURE 1, positioned within the shower riser tube 12 and at the shower head level and proximate thereto is a check valve 18. The check valve 18 can be a flap type check valve with a spring loaded seat-flap 20 as shown so that when there is a vacuum in the shower riser tube 12 which is produced by the venturi orifice, the flap 20 is closed and no air is sucked inside the shower riser tube 12. Thus to take a shower, when the diverter knob 11 is lifted in the diverter spout 10, the water rising in the shower riser tube 12 opens the check valve 18. This check valve device is particularly desirable for installation in existing bathrooms since there is no need to tear any walls in order to install the check valve or the spout.

However, when one is installing a bath-shower fixture for the first time, a different way to prevent air from being sucked into the piping is shown in FIGURES 2, 3, and 4.

As shown in FIGURE 2, a float valve 20 in lieu of the check valve 18 is inserted in the shower riser tube 12 proximate the venturi orifice 14. The float valve 20 as seen in FIGURE 3 consists of an open end axially bored valve body 22 having a lower chamber body 24 and an upper chamber body. The lower chamber body 24 has a diameter less than that of the upper chamber body. The end of the lower chamber body has a threaded neck portion 28 for mounting in the bath fitting valve body which terminates into a shoulder 30 at the lower chamber body 24. Mounted within the lower chamber body 24 and resting on the shoulder 30 is a seat 32 adapted to receive a float ball 34 such that the float ball covers the orifice 36 at one end of the valve body 22. The float ball 34 is constructed from material lighter than water and can be hollow. The upper chamber body also has a threaded neck portion 38 for mounting the shower riser tube 12 terminating in a shoulder at the upper chamber body. An orifice 42 having a cross member 46 (FIG. 4) thereover within the upper chamber body is also provided at the point separating the neck 38 from the upper chamber body. Mounted to form a channel within the upper cham- 3 her body is a plurality of guide fins 44. The fins 44 can more readily be seen in FIG. 4.

In the operation of the float valve 20, when the float ball 34 contacts the seat 32 it makes a hermetic seal, so that air cannot go down. When the water is diverted from the spout to the shower head 16, the water proceeds upwardly pushing the ball 34 upwardly away from the seat 32 to a position indicated by the broken lines (FIG. 3). The cross member 46 serves as a stop to the ball 34 when it is in the upper position to keep it from closing the orifice 42 so that water can go up to the shower head 16. Three or four fins 44 guide the ball 34 inside the valve body 22 so that the ball does not bounce horizontally but rather confines its movement to a vertical direction only. When the water flow to the shower head is cut ofl by closing the bath fitting valves 48 or by actuating manually the diverter knob 11 in the silent fill diverter spout 10, the ball 34 remains at its upper portion because of its buoyancy. As the water level inside the shower riser tube 12 goes down to the flotation line of the ball 34, the ball will lower down with the water until it reaches the rest position on seat 32, thereby sealing again the passage to air in the downward direction.

The use of the float valve of the present invention is not confined to the silent bath fill diverter spout but it is applicable to any use that has the following requirements:

(a) Liquid flow two ways,

(b) Gas flow one way only.

The water coming down from the shower riser tube 12 has the tendency of pushing the ball 34 down against the seat 32 before all the water is drained out. However this condition is overcome by designing the valve 20 such that the buoyancy of the ball 34 exceeds the dynamic force of the water. The hydraulic pressure P, (FIG. 3) at the orifice 42 has to be equal or less than the hydraulic pressure P at the orifice 36. To achieve this condition the following must be considered:

(a) Diameter of orifice 42,

(b) Diameter of orifice 36,

(c) Diameter and buoyancy of the ball 34,

((1) Inside diameters and overall length of the valve body 22,

(e) Diameter and shape of the seat 32,

(f) Thickness and height of the cross member 46, and

(g) The heights of the upper and lower chambers of the body 22.

Although the invention has 'been described in its preferred forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for preventing air suction in a bathshower fitting so that water can be discharged from a silent fill diverter spout end in a silent, splashless stream which apparatus comprises in combination:

(a) spoutmeans,

(b) a shower riser tube connected to said spout and extending upwardly therefrom;

(c) shower head,

(d) a venturi orifice within said shower riser tube opening downwardly and axially in said shower riser tube and located at the common juncture in the hot and cold water supply pipe inlets to said shower riser tu-be, directing Water from said supply pipe inlets downwardly and axially in said shower riser tube to said diverter spout and tending to draw air through said shower head into said riser tube when inlet water flows through said venturi, and

(e) valve means secured within said shower riser tube proximate said shower head.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises a spring loaded seat-flap adapted to be open and closed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said spout means comprises a spout having a diverter knob slidably mounted thereon and adapted to cooperate therewith.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said valve means comprises an axially bored float valve.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the float valve comprises:

(a) a first chamber;

(b) a second chamber integral with said first chamber and having a diameter greater than that of said first chamber;

(c) said first chamber having a first orifice at the end thereof opposite said second chamber and a neck portion integrally attached thereto and circumscribing said first orifice, the diameter of said neck portion being less than that of said first chamber thereby forming an internal shoulder therebetween;

(d) seat rest means lying within said first chamber and secured to said shoulder and adapted to circumscribe said first orifice;

(e) float ball means having a diameter greater than said first orifice and adapted to travel between said first and said second chamber and rest on said seat rest means;

(f) said second chamber having a second orifice at the end thereof opposite said first chamber and a neck portion integrally attached thereto and circumscribing said second orifice, the diameter of said neck portion being less than that of said second chamber thereby forming an internal shoulder therebetween;

(g) channel means secured within said second chamber having a diameter equal to that of said first chamber; and

(h) float lball stop means positioned within said second chamber and lying across said second orifice.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said neck portions are screw threaded.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said seat means comprises an annular ring with a truncated upper, inner edge for receiving said float ball.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said float ball means is hollow or of a material lighter than the fluid for which it is applied.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said channel means comprises a plurality of longitudinal fins.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said float ball stop means comprises a rigid cross-shaped member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 552,356 12/1895 Degnan 4l45 1,318,521 10/1919 Wolfi 4192 1,814,512 7/1931 Hetherington 4l45 1,877,510 9/1932 Hughes 4l45 2,009,651 7/1935 Conde et a1. 4l45 2,022,875 12/19-35 Zinkil et a1 4l45 3,012,251 12/1961 Fife ,4192 3,084,349 4/ 1963 Sundblad et a1. 4192 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

